Hou Hsiao-Hsien

I haven't seen Mysteries of Lisbon but he is so diff to HHH. 'TV production values' vs film - again, I wonder how much of a gap there is in the first place between either of them.

From the two screenshots I take your point but City of Sadness does, iirc, evoke a very different mood in its intentions and its a very different story - which I think why at least trying to follow some of the story's strands (and I didn't follow all of them) might be worthwhile.

It's posit StillAdvance means that MOL has the leisurely pace of, say, Berlin Alexanderplatz.

posit = possible

i only mentioned MOL as it was also a tv project IIRC but i think the thing with the assassin is that the image is very naked. or made to seem very naked (ive read some reviews since seeing it comment on it being like a painting come to life but i would say its more just like a digital photograph come to life, which im not sure really suits it as its meant to be a period piece). made me think of inland empire actually. i know the lighting was all natural, but idk, i like a bit of artifice, so maybe its just personal preference (i feel a bit like QT complaining about digital projection being TV, but i think its about the choices made in the shooting and the lighting, not the projection).

i still need to watch berlin alexanderplatz.

its more just like a digital photograph come to life, which im not sure really suits it as its meant to be a period piece

Period piece needn't mean you sould exclude digital.

Some of the colours felt oversaturated.

I think this film's status as a 'period film' is quite complex (especially when there are fantasy elements in play) - it has the feel of a retold childhood fable, a remembrance of a story rather than the story itself, and so the brightness of the colours seems an appropriate way of expressing memory, and wonderment.

So, this is a masterpiece! Reminded me a lot of Amour Fou in it's depiction of a rotten, codified, millieu. Also, reading up on the history behind it, the whole thin is based on fact, it seems. It's really not that complicated.

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2016/06/06/hou-hsiao-hsien-film-culture-finally-comes-through/

Daughter of the Nile has a 30th anniversary 4K restoration opening in NY this week

https://quadcinema.com/film/daughter-of-the-nile/

watched tai pei story last week; every shot is gorgeous

I really liked The Puppetmaster. It was definitely made more interesting for me by the mixing of casual narration in voice-over and interview scenes with the historical storytelling. The “almost like life” puppet show scenes and opera scenes were also mesmerizing. Didn’t think the narrative was confusing at all (unlike The Assassin). Can relate to what was said above about his films being delicate/miniaturized, the preference for mid- and long-range shots really add emotional distance to the events of the stories

enjoyed reading this thread

I used the search function to find this thread, was disappointed to realize I posted this to ILF. surprising to me that there's no Hou Hsiao-Hsien thread on ILE

I've seen The Assassin twice now, I'm still not sure I really understand it, but it is a beautiful film

Only saw the one time when it came out but would like to see again. Where is it streaming? Only thing I see available is Daughter of the Nile on Kanopy. Actually just watched Three Times about a week ago on Mubi and it was incredible.

Seems like I missed whole Metrograph retro and don’t think I can get there tomorrow for the last day.

I want to see Three Times again, I remember liking it the first time, especially the 1966 sequence. haven't seen Daughter of the Nile yet. The Assassin is available on netflix dvd. the quality of the dvd I rented this time was superior (I thought) to that I saw initially

I know dvds are not something most people consider watching today, but without them, at least for the moment, I think viewers are missing out on a lot of great classic films

Yeah, I know I am.

The Assassin seems like a very different film to me this time. wondering what it will feel like again in 5 years

I can recommend googling the names of characters in The Assassin. Some of them are historical characters, whose stories don't end there.

Figuring out subs for French restoration of the 'HHH: A Portrait of Hou Hsiao-Hsien' documentary. Love this segement: pic.twitter.com/bd5f13eZOk

— mmcc (@mattmccrac) August 17, 2022

Having completed the subtitle project and working now on packaging them and the video together properly, please enjoy Hou Hsiao-hsien's magnificent singing at KTV.

"Cheers friends, let it all out!"https://t.co/6rqqjCGJuc pic.twitter.com/tBrtsxr2LM

— mmcc (@mattmccrac) August 2, 2023

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/hou-hsiao-hsien-taiwan-director-retirement-1235768092/

that's a loss but he seems to be doing what's best for his health and i hope he has a long happy retirement

Hope this sad news inspires a push to finally get decent physical media editions of things like Puppetmaster and City of Sadness out there.

The Assassin was a hell of a film to go out on.

https://www.taiwanplus.com/shows/culture/between-the-tides-taiwans-new-wave-classics-and-beyond

dust in the wind (and other non-HHH classics) available for streaming here

"Before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he had often shared with us that his love for films has become purer."

Thank you so much for your films, Hou.